


Sleepless Nights

by Cour104



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura and Coran aren't really present, I Ship It, It's mostly Lance and Keith bc I love them, Keith has nightmares, Klance will become canon, M/M, Pidge ships it, Shiro's kinda a jerk, This turned out longer than I anticipated, insomniac!Lance, lance comforts him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-16 18:11:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11258220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cour104/pseuds/Cour104
Summary: “Keith!” Lance whispered, gently shaking his teammates shoulder. “Keith, wake up.”Keith bolted upright, his breath coming in shallow gasps as his eyes wildly searched the room.“Hey, shhh, it’s okay,” Lance soothed, his hand still gently gripping Keith's shoulder. His other hand reached up, brushing Keith’s hair away from his face. “It was just a bad dream.”OrThis was supposed to be a short fic about Lance comforting Keith after a nightmare and somehow became 9k words.





	Sleepless Nights

**Author's Note:**

> I just love Klance so much and the fact that "Sharp work, Samurai ;)" exits means that it's basically canon.
> 
> I'm not sure if it's canon, but it's widely accepted that Lance is 10/10 at taking care of people so I thought "What if Keith has a nightmare and Lance comforts him??" And of course I had to write it.
> 
> Also, sleep deprived Keith is the best Keith.

Lance stared up at the ceiling, willing himself to fall asleep. He’d tried everything, from counting sheep to just laying as still as possible and hoping for the best, but nothing seemed to work. He pressed a pillow to his face, groaning into it. Shiro was not going to be happy with him if fell asleep during training (again) or worse - was groggy during a real battle. He hated the idea of endangering himself and his team, but his brain refused to quiet down. No matter how late it got it continued to whirl, reminding him of small mistakes he’d made throughout the day as well as replaying ones he’d made five years ago. He doubted anyone cared about the time he tripped in the hall during middle school but his mind would not let it go. With one final sigh Lance got up, hopefully a calming walk would clear his head.

 

As Lance made his way down the hall he paused. Having heard a noise, he dropped into a fighting stance, his eyes scanning the darkness for an intruder. Shadows were cast hazardously across the walls and as Lance’s vision adjusted he realized, rather thankfully, that there wasn’t a threat to be found. So what was that noise? He stood still, eyes closed in concentration as he listened. Despite having already assessed the situation, and noting that he was alone, Lance’s heart refused to still. His mind fought to come up with a rational reason for why anyone else would be awake at this ungodly hour. Was Pidge up watching a movie? Had Hunk snuck to the kitchen for a midnight, or rather 3am, snack? His thoughts subsided as the sound came again. It sounded like struggling. Lance took a deep breath, steeling his nerves as he reminded himself that the ship had high security and that if a rogue alien had intruded Coran and Allura would have alerted the paladins. He knew that they were not above rousing the team from their sleep. The noise came again and Lance realized that it was coming from Keith’s room. Was he in trouble?

 

Lance tiptoed toward Keith’s door, for if it was an intruder he wanted to keep the element of surprise. He stopped outside, steadying his breath as he rested his head against the door. Finally he pushed it open to reveal Keith. Asleep in his bed.

 

Letting out a sigh of relief at the lack of an attack, Lance turned to leave, stopping as he heard the noise again. Keith was writhing, his sheets wrapped tightly around him from his fitful sleep. His face was scrunched up, sweat plastering his hair against his face. Grunts escaped his lips as he fought.

 

“Keith!” Lance whispered, gently shaking his teammates shoulder. “Keith, wake up.”

 

Keith bolted upright, his breath coming in shallow gasps as his eyes wildly searched the room.

 

“Hey, shhh, it’s okay,” Lance soothed, his hand still gently gripping Keith's shoulder. His other hand reached up, brushing Keith’s hair away from his face. “It was just a bad dream.”

 

Keith’s breath steadied itself as his eyes focused on Lance, who offered him a comforting smile.

 

“I-uh,” Keith blinked, attempting to clear his head,”did I wake you?”

 

Lance, who was now unraveling the bewildered boy from his sheets, shook his head. “No, I couldn’t sleep. I heard you when I was walking down the hall. You had me worried, I thought there was an intruder.”

 

“Sorry,” Keith murmured, his voice distant.

 

“Hey,” Lance spoke, turning Keith’s face to look at him, “you okay?”

 

Keith nodded but Lance could see the fear and pain still etched across his face, though it was beginning to subside. 

 

“It was just a nightmare,” Keith shrugged, pulling his head from Lance’s hand to stare at the wall. “It’s not a big deal.”

 

From the way Keith’s voice subtly shook Lance knew that he was either calming down or pretending he was calming down. Either way, it was evident that this  _ was _ a big deal. 

 

“Come on,” Lance jumped up, grabbing Keith’s arm and pulling him from his bed.

 

“Wha- Lance!” Keith verbally protested, though he didn’t struggle as Lance towed him down the hall. “Where are we going?”

 

“The kitchen!” Lance revealed matter-of-factly, although it wasn’t that great of a revelation as he proclaimed it as they entered the kitchen.

 

“I gathered that myself, thank you,” Keith replied, watching as Lance rummaged through the fridge. Or at least it was the Altean version of a fridge. It kept things cold, so Keith couldn’t complain. 

 

“Got it!” Lance beamed, pulling out a glass of milk and placing it in an intergalactic microwave. Once again, Keith couldn’t complain. It began beeping and Lance pulled out the glass, thrusting it at Keith, “Drink!”

 

“Um, okay,” Keith hesitantly took the glass, taking a few long sips. Warmth spread down his throat, filling his body with a cozy feeling.

 

“Works like a charm, doesn’t it?” Lance watched him drink, his eyes shining with pride. “It always helped my little siblings back on Earth when they had nightmares. Puts them right to sleep!”

 

Keith stopped drinking, setting the glass on the counter. “What if I...What if I don’t want to go back to sleep?” he asked hesitantly.

 

“Hey, that’s understandable. We can find something else to do.”

 

“Thanks, I um, I appreciate all your help but you don’t have to… You don’t have to stay with me. I’m fine, really. It’s late, you’re probably tired.”

 

“I wish,” Lance sighed, grabbing the glass and taking a few sips of his own, “I can't sleep.”

 

“Are you like that often?”

 

“Yeah. I mean, of course I sleep  _ sometimes _ . It’s just hard falling asleep. Usually I just sit in my room but tonight I was more restless than usual. If you want to be left alone I’ll go, but I don’t mind hanging out with you, really.”

 

“No, you can stay,” Keith smiled up at him, appreciating his company more than he thought possible. “What do you want to do? Normally if I have a nightmare or something I end up training.”

 

“Do you have nightmares often?” Lance asked, a worried look on his face.

 

“No,” Keith shook his head, feeling Lance’s eyes on him. “Not normally. Not ever that vivid. They started getting worse after I found out I was Galra,” his voice trailed off at the end and Lance fought the urge to give him a hug. He doubted it’d be appreciated, the startelement and distress of the dream had long since worn off and Keith was getting back to his normal self. “They’re just...I don’t know..”

 

“You don’t need to explain yourself to me,” Lance reassured, earning himself a thankful smile. 

 

“Hey… Can we maybe not tell the others about this? I don’t want them to worry.”

 

“My lips are sealed,” Lance made the motion of zipping up his lips and turning a little lock, tossing an invisible key over his shoulder. “Now come on, wanna play some video games?”

 

“I thought thought you and Pidge couldn’t find anything to hook the console up to,” Keith commented as Lance handed him a controller. He didn’t understand why they were headed towards the training area.

 

“Oh, we couldn’t. This is a new kind of video game, console free.”

 

“I don’t follow?”

 

“Never underestimate Pidge when she wants something.” It sounded more like a caution than an explanation. “Two players!” Lance called as they entered the room and Keith was almost certain he’d lost it. That is until two robots appeared before them. “Pidge programed the robots to synch with the controllers,” he explained, a mischievous glint in his eye. “We can make them do anything.” 

 

Lance burst into laughter as his robot began doing the chicken dance. Keith couldn’t keep the smile off his lips as he watched the robot flap its arms.

 

“And here I thought you woke me from my nightmare,” Keith joked.

 

Lance stuck out his tongue, putting his robot in a fighting stance. Keith realized a little too late that he had no idea what the controls were, resolving to just mash random buttons, resulting in his robot attempting to do a backflip and landing rather ungracefully on it’s face. Lance let out another laugh and Keith glared at him.

 

“Here, let me help,” Lance placed his hands over Keith’s, not noticing Keith’s intake of breath at the contact. “Use A to jump,” he pressed Keith's finger under his own and they watched the robot get up and jump. “B to punch…” The explanation continued, Lance’s hands surprisingly soft against his own, his breath warm against his face. “Got it?” Lance asked, pulling away and looking at Keith with a grin. 

 

Keith nodded, mostly to clear his head and somewhat to confirm that his robot would no longer fall on it’s face. Lance’s smile widened, which Keith didn’t think was possible, as he turned and launched his attack.

 

Lance’s robot charged and Keith’s barely had time to sidestep as Lance’s barreled past, crashing into the wall. Lance let out a disappointed “humph” summoning an uncharacteristic giggle from Keith. Lance cocked an eyebrow watching the boy next to him with interest. Sleep deprived Keith was a new Keith.

 

“Sneak attack!” Lance bellowed, his robot jumping forward. Keith successfully blocked.

 

“You do realize that it’s not a sneak attack if you yell “sneak attack” right?” Keith asked, ignoring Lance’s pout as his robot missed yet again.

 

“Maybe that’s my strategy,” Lance revealed, his lips upturned in a smirk. “Distract you so I win.”

 

Then he turned, shoving Keith to the ground and having his robot do the same. He let out a victorious whoop as his robot pinned Keith’s to the ground.

 

“Ow, I think I hit my head,” Keith revealed, peering up at Lance with a look of betrayal.

 

Lance’s victory shouts died in his throat as he looked guiltily at his friend.

 

“I am so sorry, I didn’t think that one through!” He apologized.

 

“It’s okay. Can you help me up?” Keith reached out his hand, his other hand rubbing his head.

 

“Of cour-ahhh,” Lance let out a yelp as Keith reached up and grabbed his arm, pulling him on top of him.  “That was low even for you,” Lance crossed his arms.

 

“You’ll get over it,” Keith assured, pushing the other off of him and sitting up. He leaned against the wall, Lance scooting over to join him. “Best two out of three?”

 

Keith didn’t remember falling asleep, but he awoke with his head resting against Lance’s chest. Lance's arm wrapped around his shoulder and his chin rested on Keith's head. He began to stir as Keith pulled away, rubbing at his eyes tiredly.

 

“Hey, Lance,” Keith shook Lance’s shoulder, happy that this time it was the other way around. “It’s morning, we fell asleep.”

 

Lance yawned loudly, getting up to stretch.

 

“I won,” he revealed with a smile as he ran a hand through his tangled hair.

 

“No, I won. If I remember correctly, I won twenty-three battles and you only won twenty-one.”

 

“You don’t remember correctly,” Lance informed him, ignoring his glare. “I won twenty-four.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes.

 

“Okay, whatever. I’m going to get dressed before the others get up.”

 

“Yeah, me too,” Lance agreed, though even as he said it he was leaning back against the wall, his eyes drooping.

 

So Keith wasn’t all that surprised when he was asleep on the floor when the rest of the paladins entered the room for  _ real  _ training. Shiro cleared his throat.

 

“Looks like Lance is actually early for once,” he quipped as Lance rose from his slumber. “What are you doing here?”

 

“Sorry, uh, videogames,” he held out the controller, the second one laid abandoned beside him.

 

“How many times have I told you to stop staying up all night?” Shiro scolded.

 

Lance reddened, looking down at his feet. “I’m sorry, it wasn’t my fault.”

 

“Then whose fault was it? The robot’s?”

 

Lance looked up, his eyes locking onto Keith's before looking back down.

 

“No. I’m sorry,” Lance really was.

 

“You say that yet you do this almost every night. I may not always catch you in the act but I know when you haven’t slept by how groggy you act. Your moves are slow, putting everyone at risk. If you want to continue piloting the blue lion you need to be responsible! Understand?”

 

Lance nodded, wiping feverishly at the tears escaping his eyes.

 

“Good,” Shiro’s voice had lost it’s initial resolve, but it was firm nonetheless. “Now let’s get started.”

 

Keiths heart felt heavy in his chest through the rest of training. He was beat up pretty bad because now not only was he exhausted, but also because he refused to take his eyes of Lance for more than a few seconds at a time. Guilt gnawed at his insides as he watched Lance fumble, getting hit by his attacker. Keith looked away long enough to see his own attacker close in. Ow, yeah, that was going to leave a bruise.

 

“Hey, Lance,” Keith called, running over to him when the infernal training was finally over. “Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah, it’s nothing I haven’t heard a hundred times before,” he shrugged offering Keith a lopsided grin. Keith noticed that it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

 

“I’m going to tell him I was the reason you were up.”

 

Lance shook his head. “No, it’s okay, I know you want to keep your nightmares a secret, I understand. Besides, you  _ weren’t _ the reason I was up. I would have been up regardless.”

 

“Yeah, but I was the reason you were caught. I should have made you get up this morning!” Keith mentally kicked himself.

 

“Keith, it’s _ fine _ ,” Lance grabbed Keith's shoulders, shaking them for emphasis. “Really, I’m okay. Promise.”

 

Keith nodded, though he did so begrudgingly. He hated the idea of someone else getting in trouble because of him. Sometimes he wished Lance wasn’t so stubborn.

 

The rest of the day went by like normal: go to a random planet, form voltron, kick Galra - or rather evil Galra (there were good Galra too) - butt, and go home (well not _home_ , sometimes Lance feared he’d never go home). Now that it was bedtime, yes Shiro had assigned Lance a bedtime, Lance found himself staring, as always, at the ceiling. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Shiro’s disappointed expression as he lectured him about a good-night's rest. Here he lay, at night, not resting. He jumped up, pacing his room, nervous energy filling his veins. What if Shiro kicked him off the team? What if he fell asleep during a battle, hurting his teammates? What if he got himself killed? Suddenly his room wasn’t big enough and he began pacing the hall, a milling _what ifs_ swarming his brain. They dissipated as quickly as they had appeared as Lance heard the _noise_.

 

This time, rather than scanning the hall anxiously, he hurried to Keiths room, kneeling next to his bed. Keith thrashed around, tears streaming down his cheeks.

 

“Keith,” Lance shook Keith’s shoulder, just as he’d done the night before. “It’s just a nightmare, it’s okay.”

 

Keith’s eyes shot open and he blinked up at Lance, his brows knit together in confusion.

 

“It-it happened again?” He asked, his voice on edge. 

 

Lance nodded solemnly, helping Keith sit up. He cradled his face with his hands, wiping away Keith’s tears with his thumbs.

 

“Are you okay?” Lance asked, moving to wipe away a few loose strands of hair that were falling onto Keith’s face.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you… Again.”

 

“Anytime. Do you need anything? I can go get you some milk if you want,” Lance turned to leave.

 

“No!” Keith’s hand flew out, grabbing onto Lance’s arm. His cheeks reddened as Lance turned to look at him in confusion. “I mean, uh, don’t leave me. Please. I don’t want to be alone with my thoughts.”

 

“Funny, me either.”

 

Keith didn’t really find this fact funny. Sad? Yes. Alarming? Yes. Funny? Not so much.

 

“So...What now?”

 

It was just beginning to dawn on Keith that the two of them weren’t exactly friends. To be honest, Keith had always been a loner, so he didn’t have any friends period. Well, Shiro of course. And he supposed he could hold a nice conversation with Hunk and Pidge. But Lance? Sure they had their moments, but last night was the only time he can really recall laughing with him. Now laughing  _ at _ him was a different story. But laughing with him? 

 

“We can play video games again,” Lance offered, but Keith promptly shook his head.

 

“I think I’ve had enough of those.”

 

Lance nodded in agreement, sitting awkwardly at the end of Keith’s bed as he racked his brain for an activity. The two of them may not be the closest friends, but he’d be damned if he couldn't find  _ something _ to help pass the time. It was evident that neither one wanted to be alone nor did they wish to sleep. 

 

“You know, there’s this book Pidge gave me that I’ve been meaning to read,” Keith mentioned, taking pity on his friend.

 

“Reading a book isn’t exactly a two person activity,” Lance pointed out, a bit miffed that he hadn’t been able to come up with something first.

 

“Sure it is,” Keith scooted over, patting the bed next to him. “I’ll read it to you.”

 

Lance climbed across the bed hesitantly, his side pressed against the wall in an attempt to give Keith room. Keith grabbed the book and began to read.

 

At first, Lance was bored, only listening to be polite. Then, he got into the story. He found himself craning his neck to look at the pages and inevitably, without conscious recollection, was pressed against Keith, his head hovering above his shoulder. His eyes scanned the pages as Keith read, rereading interesting parts or jumping ahead to the pinnacle of each action. When his head began to feel heavy is rested on Keith's shoulder, his eyes still able to explore the pages. He could feel his eyes growing tired as he struggled to keep them open. They fluttered shut and he was left only with Keith's voice. That was enough though. Keith gave perfect emphasis and pronounced everything correctly. Lance sighed contently as the story danced before his eyes, Keith's voice lulling him to sleep.

 

Although it had felt like only a few minutes, when Lance’s eyes fluttered open he awoke to silence. Or almost silence, the only sound being Keith’s steady breathing. He was slouched against his pillow, hands still wrapped around the book he had been reading, which sat open on his lap. Lance pried it from his grip, thumbing through the pages to the last part he remembered. He had only gotten about halfway through whereas Keith had almost made it to the end before drifting off. Lance frowned, disappointed that he had missed so much of the story. He’d have to ask Keith to finish it with him sometime.

 

“Morning,” Keith spoke wearily, peeling himself from his pillow to stretch.

 

“Sorry for falling asleep on you,” Lance meant it both figuratively and literally.

 

Keith shrugged. “It’s fine. I don’t blame you, reading was a pretty lame idea.”

 

“Actually, the story was really good,” Lance admitted, handing the book he had been looking through back to Keith. “I was hoping, maybe, we could finish it sometime?” It came out like a question. Keith nodded and Lance beamed. “I only made it about halfway through, would you mind rereading parts you already went through? If not it’s fine, I can read it on my own.”

 

“No, I don’t mind. Besides, I hardly remember anything after the halfway point anyways. Now please, get out of my room before the others start asking questions. Or worse, make assumptions.”

 

Lance nodded in understanding as he headed for his own room. The two of them weren’t exactly friends. Well, at least during the day. They didn’t talk often, only when making jests at each other. But that was all in good nature. Still, it’d be rather curious to see Lance waltzing out of Keith’s room in his pajamas. Even though the two hadn’t been doing anything risque, Lance would prefer that the rest of the team stay in the dark. He was not looking forward to getting chewed out by Shiro again and he knew Keith wanted to keep his nightmares a secret. They had to be careful, if the team began to notice how tired the two were acting they’d surely catch on. Lance began to wonder is Alteans had any energy drinks. He’d have to ask Coran.

 

Once again, the day passed by like normal. Or, as normal as it gets on an alien spaceship hurtling through space. Well, actually, it  _ was  _ normal until the paladins were given something not handed out often: free time. Free time was becoming a distant memory to Lance, much like seconds and pizza. Now all he had were ticks and green space goo. Usually the paladins’ time was taken up by battling, training, going on special missions, helping out around the ship, and (not) sleeping. But, today Shiro decided that the team deserved a reward for working so hard. 

 

Lance was at a loss, he relied on his busy schedule to keep his mind distracted. The day was slowly morphing into night as he sat, pushing away unwanted thoughts. He wished there was something to do but Hunk as busy in the kitchen baking, Pidge was working on her lion, Shiro was picking up some extra training and Keith was, well Lance didn’t know what Keith was doing. They were hardly close enough to hang out. If it wasn’t for their recent situations the two wouldn’t even consider each other friends. But, Lance had felt like they bonded, if even slightly, and was now happy to call Keith his friend.

 

“Shiro won’t let me train with him. He say’s I ‘need a break.’” Keith did finger quotes as he sat down across from Lance. “Everyone else is busy so I guess you’re my last option.” Keith admitted begrudgingly. Lance could really feel the love. Even after everything, Keith was still antisocial. Or at least he was when he wasn’t sleep deprived. Lance liked sleep deprived Keith better, he was much nicer. Cuter too. Wait, what?

 

“So, uh, what’s up?” Lance rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, glad that the other couldn’t read his thoughts. 

 

“You wanted to finish this, right?” Keith asked, setting the book down on the table.

Lance nodded eagerly and a hint of a smile appeared on Keith's face as he picked it back up and began to read. Although Lance couldn’t read the pages himself from this position, he could now see Keith's facial expressions as he read. Lance could tell when something bad was about to happen because Keith drew his eyebrows together with concern. On the other hand, when something good was about to happen Keith's eyes lit up. When characters spoke Keith unconsciously mirrored the expression they would have used. Lance smiled fondly, a bit bummed that he hadn’t noticed this sooner.

 

“Um, Keith, are you _ reading _ to Lance?” Pidge faltered, making a show to remove her glasses and clean them before putting them back on, as if she couldn’t trust them.

 

“Well,” Keith began smoothly, not even looking up from the page, “we all know Lance can’t read.”

 

“Yes I can!” Lance protested, throwing his arms in the air. “I can read in  _ two _ languages thank you very much. Inglés y español!”

 

Pidge rolled her eyes, unimpressed, turning and leaving. Keith let out a small chuckle before continuing from where they’d left off. Lance couldn’t keep himself angry as he got absorbed by the story.

 

Sooner than he would have liked the story ended, night fell, and Shiro appeared, ushering each paladin (Lance in particular) to their rooms for a “good night's rest.” Lance doubted that that was possible, but attempted anyways. And attempted. And attempted. The ceiling stared back mercilessly and once again he found himself wandering the halls. This time, he wasn’t even surprised when he heard Keith.

 

“Keith,” Lance roused Keith for the third time in a row. “It’s just a nightmare, you’re okay.”

 

Keith sat up shakily, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes and letting out a silent sob. 

 

“Hey, it’s okay,” Lance reached out, placing his hand on Keith’s back and rubbing circles, “I’m here.”

 

Keith sniffled, looking up at Lance. Then he pulled him into a hug. Lance’s eyes widened in surprise but quickly softened. He gently wrapped his arms around Keith, whose face was buried in the crook of his neck. 

 

“Thank you,” Keith mumbled against his skin.

 

Lance could tell that this dream had left Keith more shaken than those of the previous nights. He trembled in his arms, his breath ragged.

 

“Want to go get some milk?” Lance asked, hoping that it could calm him.

 

Keith nodded and pulled away. Lance gathered up Keith’s blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders like a cape, hoping that it would reduce his friend’s trembling. When they exited Keith’s room, entering the dark hall way, Keith reached out, unconsciously grasping Lance’s hand. Lance gave it a comforting squeeze. 

 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Lance asked once they were settled in the kitchen. Keith shook his head and then paused before giving a small nod. Lance smiled reassuringly, giving Keith’s hand another squeeze.

 

“They feel so _ real _ ,” he admitted, bowing his head. Lance began running his fingers across Keith’s hand in what he hoped was a soothing motion. “Sometimes there’s an evil me working for Zarkon. I try to fight him but it’s hard because he’s able to block all my moves. Then, when I ask you guys for help you aren’t able to tell which me is  _ me _ .” Lance gripped his hand tighter, urging him to go on. “Other times Red spits me out, like I leave a bad taste in his mouth. I’m left floating through space. I call you guys for help but no one can hear me.”

 

“Have you tried talking to anyone about this?” Lance asks, eyeing Keith with concern.

 

“No. I don’t want everyone to get all worried about me, it’s bad enough I have to deal with you,” his insult lacked it’s usual strength. “Have you tried talking to anyone about your insomnia?”

 

“I don’t have insomnia!” Lance protested. “I just have habitual sleeplessness.”

 

“That’s like the literal definition of insomnia.” Keith pointed out. 

 

Lance shrugged and the two got up, aimlessly wandering around the ship. It was nice exploring the castle without the other paladins around. Quiet. Relaxing. The two were silent, just enjoying the others presence. They even discovered a few rooms they thought might come in handy later. Neither one seemed to notice that they were still holding hands.

 

After that they stopped attempting to go to sleep. Waiting until they were sure everyone else was asleep they’d sneak out of their rooms, meeting each other in the hall. They’d spend each night together, playing games, reading, wandering the halls, et cetera. Though, they didn’t escape sleep completely, as they’d always end up in Keith's room, curled around each other as they drifted off. Neither could explain it, but sleeping was easier when in each others presence. 

 

Their days were spent the same as always, though they were nicer to each other, their constant quips turned more into jokes than insults and their previous rivalry transformed into a friendly competition. They also found themselves in each other's company more often than before. But other than that nothing really changed. During the day Lance was still cocky, though Keith couldn’t help but laugh with him every now and again. During the day Keith was still edgy, though Lance would always make sure to offer him a thumbs up, reminding him to smile. 

 

They did have their occasional slip ups, like the time Keith got hurt in training and Lance was more worried than necessary. He held him in his arms, asking if he was okay. What the team found more surprising than that was Keith’s lack of protest when Lance  _ picked him up _ and  _ carried _ him to the healing pods. Another time, Pidge was startled when she saw the two sitting together, Keith's head resting on Lance's shoulder. And Hunk may have caught them holding hands once or twice. It wasn’t enough for anyone to get suspicious, as the two always played it off coolly, but it was enough to start rumors, much to the two’s discontent.

 

“Pidge thinks we’re dating,” Lance blurted one night as he played with Keith's hair, who laid with his head in Lance’s lap.

 

“It’s just a rumor, it’ll die in a few days. Besides, it’s better than them knowing we stay up all night.”

 

“Well not _ all  _ night. We usually fall asleep with at least an hour or two before morning.”

 

“Still late enough to get Shiro upset. He’s been watching us you know. And  _ not _ because he thinks we’re dating. He’s noticed how groggy we’ve been.”

 

“Oh yeah!” Lance jumped up, nearly causing Keith to fall onto the floor. “I finally remembered to ask Coran about Altean energy drinks,” Lance explained, running off and returning a few seconds later with two mysterious cans. “Don’t worry, I didn’t tell him anything.” Lance assured, handing Keith a can.

 

Keith turned the can around in his hand, attempting to read the label. Of course they were written in Altean.

 

“Are you sure these are safe to drink?” Keith asked, popping the can open and gagging at the smell.

 

“Can’t be worse than the green space goop,” Lance shrugged, taking a long swig. 

 

Keith followed suit, doing his best to keep the substance down when he realized that yes, it could be worse than green space goop. It tasted like gasoline and toxic waste. Lance ran his hands over his tongue in a futile attempt to rid his mouth of the taste. Keith just accepted the fact this is how his mouth tasted now. Neither felt any more energized, which was disappointing really. But what can you expect for random space drinks?

 

In hindsight, Lance was beginning to realize that maybe downing a can of random space drink was a bad idea. He thinks it might have contained the same amount of caffeine as a typical Starbucks back on Earth. And just to be clear, he didn’t mean a drink you’d get at Starbucks, but rather all the caffeine in the store. His heart was beating so fast he couldn’t feel his pulse. He couldn’t bring himself to care as he ran circles around the training arena. He even did a few backflips. He’d never known how to do backflips before. Keith on the other hand was a jumpy mess. His eyes flitted across the room and he jumped at every noise.

 

“Are you okay?” Pidge asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

 

He flipped her. He almost felt bad about it too until she grabbed his leg, yanking it out from under him and pulling him to the ground as well. As icing on the cake, Lance tripped over them.

 

“Okay, enough!” Shiro exploded, his expression dark. “Hunk, Pidge, get out, I need to speak with Keith and Lance alone.”

 

Hunk and Pidge shuffled out of the room, throwing apologetic glances over their shoulders. At the sound of Shiro’s voice Keith instinctively grabbed Lance’s hand, quickly letting go as Shiro made his way over to them.

 

“Altean energy drinks?” He asked, his voice tinged in disbelief. He held up an empty can, glaring at it. “How much caffeine is even in one of these things? PIDGE! I know you’re listening, come read this label for me!”

 

Pidge rushed in, keeping her eyes on the ground. She grabbed the the can from his hand and began scanning the ingredients. Her eyes widened.

 

“I’d suggest getting them to a doctor before they go into cardiac arrest.” 

 

“They’ll be fine,” he waved her off, turning his attention back to the boys in front of him. Lance was bouncing on the balls of his feet and Keith had his arms wrapped around himself. “You know, when the two of you began hanging out with one another I was happy, ecstatic even. Because it was about time the two of you quit your petty rivalry and became friends. As a team we all need to be bonded with one another and you two becoming actual friends really did help when forming Voltron. But, it turns out, Lance is a terrible influence. Really Keith, I expected better from you. If you ever want to lead Voltron one day you need to learn to act responsibly. As of right now you two are forbidden from hanging out with each other.”

 

“But I love him!” Lance burst. Keith cocked an eyebrow.

 

“Do you now?” He asked, his voice bemused. 

 

“This happened once in one of my mom’s telenovelas.” Lance replied with a shrug.

 

“And in Romeo and Juliet,” Keith added.

 

“Ooh! How romantic, I call dibs on being Romeo!”

 

“You do realize that almost everyone died in that play, right?” Keith asked.

 

“Yeah, but-”

 

“Enough!” Shiro cut them off, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Team meeting in the commons in 100 ticks.”

 

With that he stormed out, leaving a very anxious Keith and overly hyper Lance behind. Lance could sense Keith's distress and intertwined their fingers. 

 

“Are you going to be okay?”

 

“Yeah, I just need the caffeine to wear off.”

 

They headed to the team meeting, acting as inconspicuous as possible and ignoring the pitying looks sent their way.

 

“I’m tired of the way this team has been acting lately,” Shiro began once everyone was settled. “So I’ve asked Coran to put sensors on all of your doors so that we’ll be able to tell when you leave in the middle of the night. And yes, this goes for  _ all _ of you. I know Lance and Keith have been the most obvious, but don’t act like I don’t know about Hunk sneaking off to the kitchen for a midnight snack and Pidge staying up late to work on her lion. It makes you tired and weak. From now on if you leave your rooms after curfew, and yes a curfew will be enforced, I’ll be alerted and you will face the consequences. Any questions?”

 

Pidge timidly raised her hand.

 

“What if we have to use the bathroom?”

 

“You can hold it.”

 

“What if.. What if I  _ can’t  _ hold it? Like, it’s something that I can’t hold in?”

 

Shiro looked at her confused for a few seconds before cringing.

 

“Yes, fine, okay  _ you _ can go to the bathroom.”

 

“Wait, Pidge get’s to go to the bathroom because she’s a girl? No fair!” Lance protested, crossing his arms across his chest. 

 

“That reminds me,” Shiro seethed, turning to glare at Lance, “until Lance and Keith learn how to behave themselves they’re no longer allowed to hang out with one another. Pidge, you look after Lance, Hunk, you look after Keith. I really hope that this will be a temporary measure.” 

 

He looked between each member, as if daring them to cross him, before turning and leaving.

 

“Dude’s been stressed ever since that last battle,” Hunk noted, looking at the door uneasily.

 

“He’ll cool down in a few days,” Pidge assured, looking just as uneasy as Hunk. “He’s just worried about everyone.”

 

“Yeah,” Hunk agreed, nodding his head. “He did this with me and Pidge once when we exploded the kitchen. But he only lasted like a day before he apologized.”

 

“Correction,  _ Hunk _ exploded the kitchen, I was an innocent bystander who was wrongly convicted.”

 

“Well how was  _ I _ supposed to know that it wasn’t a pancake recipe? You’re the one who’s practicing Altean!”

 

“I’m not your babysitter!”

 

“Yeah, you’re Lance’s,” Hunk reminded, bringing everyone back to their current situation.

 

“We’ll uh, give you two a few minutes, hopefully Shiro won’t mind. Keith, meet me in the kitchen,” Hunk said as he left the room.

 

“I guess we’ll just hang out in here once Keith leaves,” Pidge addressed Lance before stepping out, following Hunk’s lead.

 

“Are you going to be okay?” Lance asked once the other two were gone.

 

“I’ll be fine,” Keith promised, though he didn’t look too sure. “Besides, I haven’t had a nightmare in a few weeks.” He also hadn’t slept alone in a few weeks. “What about your insomnia?”

 

“I don’t have insomnia,” Lance reminded.

 

Keith rolled his eyes, getting up and waving goodbye.

 

“See you later, Samurai!” Lance called after him, prompting Keith to let out a chuckle.

 

“So did you two kiss?” Pidge asked upon entering the room.

 

“What?” Lance faltered, looking at her in disbelief. “You do realize that we aren’t actually dating right?”

 

She just shrugged, pulling out a deck of Altean flashcards. Lance groaned inwardly, this was going to be a long day and an even longer night.

 

As Lance stared at the ceiling he knew he was right. At least now he could say, “Hello, my name is Lance,” in Altean. Though that didn’t help him sleep. If he was being honest with himself he missed Keith. A few months ago he could hardly stand him and now he  _ missed _ him. Life was funny like that. He felt cold and alone without Keith's presence. His breath tickling his neck as they slept, his limbs entangled with his own. He missed his angry scowl when things didn’t go his way and how he would roll his eyes, pretending to be annoyed. Now, it wasn’t like Lance  _ like-liked  _ Keith or anything like that. They were friends.  _ Close  _ friends. He liked being around him. He liked the way their hands fit together. And yeah,  _ occasionally _ his thoughts drifted to what it’d feel like to kiss him. But that didn’t  _ mean _ anything, right? Lance certainly did not have a crush on Keith. 

 

The knock on Lance's door pulled him from his thoughts and also told him that it was finally morning and that he hadn’t slept at all. Today would be fun.

 

Keith ripped himself from his dream, his frame shaking as he attempted to steady his breathing. His eyes searched the room for Lance, his heart falling when he realized he was alone. He pressed his pillow to his face, crying into it. He’d grown accustomed to Lance’s constant comfort and now found himself craving it. He wanted nothing more than to go to Lance's room, have him wrap his arms around him, whispering reassurances in his ear. But, he couldn’t. He didn’t want to upset Shiro any further than he already had. God he wished Lance was here. And not just comforting Lance, but cocky Lance. The one whose jokes are so bad they’re funny. The one who exchanges quips with him during battle, pushing him to be better. The one who flirted with anything that breathed yet hadn’t flirted with Keith. Not that Keith minded. Not that Keith  _ wanted _ Lance to flirt with him. Keith just wanted Lance  _ period _ . As scenes from his dream danced in his mind it felt like Lance was the only one who could help. But, he might as well have been a thousand miles away.

 

That morning, Keith looked  _ rough _ . Lance could tell he’d had a bad night by the way he held himself. His shoulders were hunched and he squeezed his eyes closed every now and then as if warding away a dark thought. He was also acting more antisocial than normal, ignoring Hunk, who’d tried to start a conversation with him, until he eventually gave up and walked away. His eyes had dark circles around them, though Lance doubted he looked any better. At least before he was getting a few hours of sleep. But, he couldn’t blame Shiro, he had a lot of pressure put on him. Left in the dark about the two’s sleeping conditions he was left to believe that they stayed up all night goofing off. It was a fair assumption, as that’s basically what they did, the only difference being they didn’t stay up by choice. As Lance watched Keith, he had the urge to go wrap his arms around him and tell him everything was okay. But, he’d never be able to, Pidge was watching over him like a hawk. She took her assignment seriously, unwilling to face Shiro’s wrath. 

 

“Hey Pidge, can we go to the kitchen?” Lance asked, pulling the girl from her flashcards. Ever since she’d been given them by Allura she’d been dead-set on memorizing them.

 

“Uh, I think Hunk called dibs on the kitchen for infinity, or until Shiro calms down, whichever comes first. Hopefully the latter.”

 

“They aren’t in the kitchen right now though, are they?”

 

Pidge looked up from her cards, spotting Keith and Hunk across the room and letting out a sigh.

 

“Fine.”

 

When they got to the kitchen, Lance headed towards the fridge, pulling out a glass of milk and placing it in the microwave.

“Can you give this to Keith?” He asked once the beverage was ready.

 

“I’m not sure-”

 

“Come on! Shiro never said anything about  _ you _ not being able to talk to Keith.”

 

“Really, a loophole?”

 

“ _ Pleaseeee _ ,” Lance begged, making puppy dog eyes.

 

“Fine!” Pidge broke, stomping her foot in frustration as she swiped the glass from Lance's hand. “But just this once!”

 

Keith looked up confused as Pidge marched over to him, shoving a glass of milk at him before scurrying away. He held it close to his chest, looking up to find Lance smiling at him from across the room. He offered him a thumbs up and Keith couldn’t stop the small smile that spread across his lips. He took a sip of the drink, letting it fill him with warmth. In that moment, everything felt okay.

 

After that, Keith stopped sleeping. 

 

“This childish protest needs to stop!” Shiro demanded, a few days into the punishment. The sleep deprived boys just looked at him, their expressions blank. He let out a growl, storming out of the room.

 

“You know, if you two would just sleep like normal people he’d let you off the hook,” Pidge informed them, her expression weary. She was tired of the internal conflicts her team had been having lately, as if Zarkon wasn’t enough. She had a feeling that there was more to their situation than the two were letting on. 

 

“Hey, Pidge,” Lance began later as he watched her work on her lion, “do you think you could make me some walkie-talkies?”

 

“May I ask why?” 

 

“No.”

 

She let out a sigh, rubbing a hand across her face and effectively covering her cheek in grease. 

 

“Just a normal set of walkie-talkies? Like the kind kids play with back on Earth?”

 

“Yeah. Well, actually, can you make them so you don’t have to press a button to talk?”

 

“So like a two-way baby monitor?”

 

“Exactly!”

 

She let out another sigh, a considering look on her face.

 

“Fine. But just because I’m waiting for an update to download and I’ve mastered all my flashcards. Give me a few hours.”

 

Just as she said, when a few hours had passed she produced two makeshift walkie-talkies. She handed them over to Lance who spoke into one, delighted when his voice came out of the other end.

 

“Thanks, Pidge! You’re the best!” He pulled her into a bone crushing hug before racing out of the room.

 

“You’re welcome!” She called after him, smoothing the wrinkles on her shirt and fixing her skewed glasses.

 

“Hunk!” Lance called, spotting his friend down the hall. He flinched, turning and offering Lance an awkward smile.

 

“Oh.. Hi Lance. Where’s Pidge?”

 

“Doesn’t matter. Here, give this to Keith,” he held out the walkie-talkie, urging Hunk to take it.

 

“I don’t know, I don’t think Shiro will be happy about this,” Hunk rubbed the back of his neck, eyeing the strange contraption with skepticism. 

 

“Shiro doesn’t need to know,” Lance tempted.

 

“Not telling Shiro? I don’t feel good about this.”

 

“What Shiro doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

 

Hunk let out a long sigh before taking the object from Lance, who smiled at him gratefully. Everyone’s been acting so weird lately. Food was never this complicated.

 

“You know, you’re smarter than you look,” Keith complemented that night as they used the walkie-talkies.

 

“I’m taking that as a complement. Anyways, now I’ll be able to fall asleep and because I’m a light sleeper I’ll be woken up if you have a nightmare. Then I’ll be able to wake you up.”

 

“Sounds like a plan.”

 

And it worked. Keith would read to Lance, or just talk about his day, until he drifted off then went to sleep himself. Then, if he were to have a nightmare, Lance would be awoken almost immediately, calling out to him until he woke up and whispering reassurances to him until his ragged breathing became steady. Lance would listen to Keith's deep breathing until he himself was finally lolled back to sleep.

 

Tensions eased between the paladins as life started to get back to normal. Shiro seemed be calming down and Pidge and Hunk were less thorough in their babysitting duties. Besides, they could tell Shiro was going to forgive them any day now. He might even give up on his curfew rule.

 

That is until things stopped going according to plan. Everything was fine, Lance waking up, as if on cue, the second he heard Keith’s distress. 

 

“Keith,” he held the walkie-talkie to his mouth, “it’s okay, wake up.”

 

Keith continued to flail in his bed, letting out a whimper.

 

“It’s just a nightmare, you’re okay,” Lance's voice was teetering from soothing to panic as Keith remained asleep. “Keith, wake up!” Lance winced as he listened to Keith cry out. This nightmare was clearly worse than the rest.

 

In that moment, Lance didn’t care about Shiro or his rules. All he cared about was comforting his anguished friend.

 

He ran to Keith’s room, ignoring the sensors on their doors as they began to pulse a threaten red.

 

Keith knew he was dreaming, he  _ had _ to be. But, everything felt so _ real.  _ As he looked around he began to forget that this wasn’t reality. He was on an alien planet, long purple spikes jutting out from the surface. Above him, his fellow paladins maneuvered through the spikes, weaving around one another as they dodged shots coming from a Galra ship. Keith dived out of the way as a blazing blue laser scorched the ground, only inches from where he stood. His eyes examined the terrain, searching for his lion. He spotted it about twenty meters away, the force field up. He sprinted over to it, placing his hand against the force field, but it remained in place.

 

“Keith, we could use a little help up here!” Lance called to him as he shot an ice beam at their enemy.

 

“Come on, Red. Can you let me in?” He asked his lion, stroking the force field in an attempt to gain its trust. Nothing happened.

 

“Red doesn’t like galra,” a voice spoke from behind him.  _ His  _ voice.

 

Keith spun on his heel, throwing up his arms in defense as he faced  _ himself _ . 

 

“Wh-who are you?” He knew the question was pathetic.

 

“Isn’t it obvious,” Not Keith replied, a smirk playing on his face. “I’m you.”

 

Not Keith was the spitting image of Keith, but there was something darker about him. His eyes were dreary and his gaze was threatening. He left a cold chill going down Keith’s spine and a bad taste in his mouth.

 

“No,” Keith shook his head.

 

“You’re right. I’m _ stronger _ than you.” He lashed out, his arm striking Keith in the ribs, sending him flying. He collided with one of the spirals behind him, groaning at the impact. He looked up, his vision blurry as Not Keith closed in on him. “You think  _ they  _ care about you?” He jabbed a finger up at the sky, where the other paladins continued to battle. “ _ They  _ aren’t your family. The galra are.” He pointed towards the ship. “You’re a traitor, fighting against your own kind.”

 

“What Zarkon is doing is wrong!”

 

“What  _ you’re _ doing is wrong!”

 

“Galra or not I will continue fighting for what is right. I know who I am!”

 

Keith kicked, causing Not Keith to stumble backward. His eyes widened in surprise as he regained his balance. They locked on to Keith, becoming a glare.

 

“Keith, we could really use that help now!” Lance called again, his lion taking damage as it crashed into a spike. “We’re dying up here.”

 

“Not yet,” Not Keith muttered under his breath, making his way towards Red. “I’m happy to help!” He called back, his smirk returning as he turned to look at Keith, the force field dissipating.

 

He climbed in and the lion flew up, leaving Keith behind to watch in dismay as he began attacking the other paladins. Pidge cried out in betrayal as Red crashed into her and Blue spiraled to the ground, covered in flames. Lance ejected out, the heat overpowering. Keith ran over to him as he landed on the planet’s surface, his impact sending up a puff of purple dust. Tears sprung to life as he saw the jagged rock protruding from Lances abdomen. 

 

“Why’d you do that Keith?” He asked, his voice weak.

 

“It-it wasn’t me,” Keith explain, cradling Lance’s head in his arms. Lance nodded, as if that was all the explanation he needed. “You’re okay,” he told him, his tears telling him otherwise.

 

“Look after Blue for me, will you?” Lance asked, looking up at Keith, his eyes pleading.

 

“Nothing’s going to happen to you!” Keith protested, pulling him closer, the tears spilling onto his cheeks.

 

“I think something already did,” Lance pointed out, wincing as he attempted a laugh. They could be in hell and he’d still try to lighten the mood.

 

“It’s fine,  _ you’re  _ fine, we’ll get you to a healing pod.”

 

“I’m not sure we have enough time,” Lance whispered, his eyes growing dull.

 

“No! Lance, I  _ can’t  _ lose you. I-I love you!” Keith admitted. He didn’t know if Lance would’ve said it back, he’d gone still in Keith’s arms.

 

Keith began to sob as the world around him fell apart, shattering like glass.

 

“Keith, it’s okay, I’m here,” Lance spoke as everything turned dark. No more alien planet, not more Not Keith, no more dead Lance. “It was just a nightmare.”

 

Keith opened his eyes, his vision focusing on Lance who hovered above him, a worried look on his face.

 

“You wouldn’t wake up. I tried calling to you with the walkie-talkie but it di-”

 

Keith cut him off, grabbing his face and pulling it down for a kiss. Warmth spread through his veins when Lance kissed him back. This was better than a million glasses of warm milk. They pulled away, dazed looks on their faces as Shiro stormed in.

 

“Keith was having a nightmare,” Lance revealed before Shiro could say anything. “He didn’t want anyone to know but they’re getting bad.”

 

One glance at the tearstained paladin could confirm this statement.

 

“Lance has insomnia. He’s just in denial about it,” Keith added, since apparently they were sharing each other’s secrets now.

 

Shiro was stunned for a few seconds before regaining his composure.

 

“Is that why neither of you have been sleeping?” He asked. The two nodded. “Why didn’t you tell me? We’re supposed to be a team and tell each other these things, we could have helped each other. You let me yell at you! Ugh, I’m such a jerk. I just assumed that the two of you were sneaking around at night and making out or something.”

 

“Does anyone care that we aren’t actually dating?” Lance asked.

 

“We’ll come back to that,” Keith said, causing Lance’s cheeks to flare.

 

“That whole “forbidden to see each other” thing? I stole that from a movie! And it worked when Hunk and Pidge caused an explosion in the kitchen so I figured why not try that punishment again? It was only supposed to actually last for a day, tops, but then you two got worse and I didn’t want to believe that it was my fault so I convinced myself it was some kind of protest. And sensors on the doors?  _ Who does that? _ It was in some parenting magazine. Not that I read parenting magazines or anything! I’ve just been so stressed lately and I took it out on you two. I messed up. I’m still getting a hang of this whole leader thing. I’m sorry.”

 

“Shiro, it’s okay. We’re all still trying to figure this all out, it’s expected that we mess up every now and then.” Keith reassured.

 

“Besides, everyone knows you’ve been stressed. That’s actually why everyone’s been going along with your punishments rather than telling you they’re dumb,” Lance added.

 

“Next time I make a mistake can you guys tell me? That way I can grow into a better leader.”

 

“Of course, I love pointing out other’s flaws!” Lance joked.

 

“Next time we have a problem we’ll come to you.” Keith promised.

 

“You’d better. That way any punishments I give out will be warranted. Now, I’d better go apologize to Hunk and Pidge, I’m sure dealing with you two for the past week hasn’t been easy on them.”

 

“I take offense to that!” Lance protested. Shiro and Keith just rolled their eyes.

 

The next morning, everything felt right. It was as if all the puzzle pieces had finally fallen into place. Shiro was actually smiling as he went about his daily business, Hunk and Pidge chatted away, Pidge trying to make him look at her new set of flashcards, and Lance and Keith holding hands.

 

“You guys make a cute couple,” Hunk noted as they came into the room.

 

“They aren’t actually dating,” Pidge said, her voice resentful.

 

“Well, actually…” Keith began, sharing an amused look with Lance.

 

“I knew it!” Pidge jumped up, her flashcards abandoned as she did a little dance. “Hunk, you owe me 5 GAC!”

 

It didn’t matter that Zarkon was still out there. It didn’t matter that they were a million miles away from home. In that moment, nothing mattered. Everything was perfect.


End file.
